Remnants Of Yesterday
by xXBalorBabeXx
Summary: Nothing truly lasts forever... when the world went to hell, so did they. And it left Harper with no choice. (AU ending of Better Angels, co-written with werewolf-queen-022)
1. Had To Fight Back

"Shane… we should turn back." Harper responded, her senses heightened in the dark… and she turned.

And she saw what she had suspected, Shane with a gun aimed at her.

"I'm sorry it has to be like this… for both you and your dad." Shane replied.

"Shane, we never wronged you… just put the gun down and we'll talk." Harper responded, hoping to talk Shane off the metaphorical ledge… but it was clear he was beyond reasoning with.

"You just had to go looking for him… I was taking good care of you, Carl and Lori, you little bitch!" Shane replied.

"I'm a bitch for wanting my father back, for not accepting you as more than a stand in?! He and Mom took me in when I had nowhere to go-" Harper responded furiously, screaming in pain as Shane backhanded her and she fell.

Harper saw the blood after touching her right hand to her mouth and lowering her hand, her right knee bleeding as well and ankle twisted up… but still wielding the gun, Shane remained enraged.

"I'm a better father for you and Carl instead of Rick, a better man for Lori… all you had to do was fucking listen!" Shane shouted, taking a step forward.

Harper was blinded to it all, holding onto the knife as it was lodged in Shane's torso… and letting it go as he fell.

Blood splattered on her face and shirt, Harper crouched down and ripped the knife out before repeatedly stabbing Shane in the torso and neck… until she was pulled off of him and saw Daryl.

"He's dead, Lil Red… just calm down." Daryl responded, Harper dropping the knife.

"He was… he was going to…" Harper replied, Daryl seeing that Shane still held the gun. "He killed Otis, caused the massacre that made Amber leave, snapped Randall's neck…" She responded frantically, Daryl pulling her into his arms.

He rarely hugged anyone in his life but he knew Harper needed one right now.

"Go back, burn your clothes, clean off, find your pajamas and try to rest." Daryl responded as he looked at her.

"What are you gonna do about his body?" Harper asked as they let go.

"They won't find him. Go." Daryl responded, Harper leaving.

When she had gotten cleaned off, dressed and had burned her clothes, Harper instinctively looked around for Amber.

And remembered the last time she saw her.

"_If Shane freaks out again, you don't hesitate to kill him!" Amber replied, putting her knife in Harper's hands._

"_Amber, you can't just leave!" Harper responded after putting the knife in her back pocket, Amber hugging her._

"_I can't stick around, kiddo." Amber replied before she left with Shadow and Banjo._

_Harper felt the tears running down her face as she stared off into the distance…_

"You don't believe we're on the eve of destruction…" Harper sang quietly as she got into the tent and curled up in the full sized bed.

She had no idea when she had fallen asleep… but when Rick walked into the tent, he crouched down and saw the bruise on her face and cut on her lower lip.

_'Damn it, who did this to my little girl?!' _Rick thought as he lightly brushed Harper's hair back.

Harper stirred around, Rick lying down on the bed and lightly hugging her… and brushing her tears away.

"Amber…" Harper called out, Rick knowing that Harper had missed the older girl who had become like a sister to her… and Rick noticed her bandaged index and middle fingers and turned worried.

"Damn it, Shane, what did you do to her?" Rick whispered, careful not to wake Harper.

Andrea looked up from the roof of the RV, seeing Daryl and climbing down.

"More walkers?" Andrea asked.

"Shane whacked Harper and left her on the ground while he ran off. Couldn't find him." Daryl responded, Andrea's eyes widening in shock and disbelief.

"Daryl, I doubt he'd beat up a 15 year old girl and just take off! Him chasing Amber off is one thing but-" Andrea replied, Daryl turning pissed.

"Listen to me, Amber left because she knew Shane would break this group and sure enough she was right! And I was stupid enough not to listen and go with her!" Daryl said before he left.

Harper wasn't sure what time it was when she opened her eyes to hear her parents talking and Carl motioning for her to stay quiet.

"Shane's missing?!" Lori responded.

"I don't know where he went to but I'm sure he got into a fight with Harper, she fought back and he took off." Rick explained.

"Why would he hurt our little girl? Shane's never shown anger towards Harper." Lori responded, Harper rolling her eyes after hearing that.

She turned onto her left side as the tent was opened… and Maggie walked in with a breakfast tray, setting it down and lightly rubbing Harper's right shoulder after Carl left.

"You've gotta eat something, Harper." Maggie responded, Harper turning to her and Maggie's blue eyes widening when she saw the bruises and cut lip.

"Shane did this to me." Harper replied, Maggie carefully hugging her after helping Harper sit up.

In the distance, Amber was in a Jeep she had taken and filled with stolen gasoline… and was driving as Shadow slept and Banjo looked at her, letting out a whine.

And she knew why… Banjo was looking for Harper.

"Don't do that, I've been around enough crazy people to know once they become unhinged you run for it." Amber said.

Banjo gave her the sad eyes look, Amber relenting.

"Harper is a rare exception." Amber replied, Banjo resting his paw onto her leg and tilting his head. "And yes I do kind of miss them, especially Harper."

She kept driving and looked out at the skyline.

Harper was looking out at the same sky after she ate and got dressed… and felt Rick rest his hands on her shoulders.

"You're gonna ask… he's gone. He's not coming back." Harper responded, Rick getting her to look at him.

"He couldn't have gone far. If Amber was still here she would be tracking him with her dogs." Rick said.

Harper thought back to last night and Rick saw tears in her eyes and pulled her into his arms.

"Dad, he was so angry…" Harper responded quietly.

"You did it in self defense." Rick said.

"I had to… he was going to kill me." Harper confessed before Rick cradled her face in his hands.

"You did what you had to do, Babydoll." Rick replied.

The two held each other, Harper burying her face into Rick's right shoulder.

No matter how she had gotten into his life, she was his little girl.

And he felt like he failed to keep her safe.


	2. Processing

_Searching For A Heart_ by Don Henley played at a low volume on Hershel's radio as Hershel had given Harper a glass of water to drink after Rick had explained everything.

"Shane hurting her cost him everything." Hershel responded quietly once he and Rick were in the kitchen and Maggie was calming Harper.

"He knew what Harper went through and still hurt her." Rick replied.

"She was abused?" Hershel asked, Rick nodding.

"It forced her to run away from her stepfather… she was bruised all over and really thin when Shane and I found her." Rick explained, Hershel turning horrified.

"That poor child…" Hershel responded quietly.

Maggie pulled a blanket over Harper, who had drank the water and fallen asleep… and Maggie saw the scars on Harper's right shoulder, Maggie letting a barely audible gasp out as she knew from the serrated edges that they were from a knife.

Andrea kept watch from the RV, fuming still from last night, before spotting a Jeep.

"Holy hell…" Andrea muttered as Glenn climbed the ladder.

"Poachers?" Glenn asked.

"Get everyone to arm themselves, there's someone driving that Jeep." Andrea responded.

Glenn climbed down and ran to the house, walking in and Rick, Hershel and Maggie looking at him.

"Andrea just spotted someone driving a Jeep." Glenn said.

Harper opened her eyes and reached for the revolver, Rick gently stopping her.

"Not the best time, kiddo." Rick replied before he and the others left and she saw Carl walk downstairs.

"Where are they going?" Carl asked.

"Go upstairs, lock the door." Harper responded, Carl doing so.

Harper went looking for any kind of weapon after they left… and found a Beretta 71.

Taking it, she headed to the opposite end of the farm and jumped the fence at the same time that the Jeep had stopped.

"Damn it!"

Harper swore she was imagining things… but the second she and Amber saw each other, Amber got out.

Ignoring her injured leg, Harper ran to her before they hugged.

"I'm back, kiddo." Amber said.

"I thought I'd never see you again." Harper responded as they let go and Amber saw her injuries.

"Who do I have to bash?" Amber asked.

"Actually… Shane's dead. He held me at gunpoint and hit me and… I stabbed him." Harper admitted.

"You did the right thing. He would have killed all of you." Amber said.

"As far as the others know, Shane took off." Harper responded before they heard "Put that gun away!" and "Damn it, Dixon!", the two crouching down… and seeing Daryl and Andrea.

"How can we be sure she ran this way?!" Andrea asked.

"Who else do you know wears converse hi tops? Kid needs some winter boots or her little feet will turn to frostbite." Daryl responded.

"Should we show ourselves?" Amber whispered.

"Slowly…" Harper responded before they stood up, weapons in their jackets and safeties on… and Daryl and Andrea calming down.

"You were in that Jeep?" Andrea asked.

"I thought I saw someone walking along the highway, wounded… she was looking for them too but they took off." Amber explained.

"Harper, you okay?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah." Harper responded.

"I'm gonna go get my stuff." Amber said before walking back to the Jeep.

Once they headed back to the farm, Harper got out of the Jeep and ran to Rick before they hugged.

Amber got out and everyone else's eyes widened in shock.

"What? You never seen a crossbow redneck with two dogs?" Amber asked.

"We were thinking we wouldn't see you again." Glenn responded as Amber looked around for Dale.

"A walker ripped him apart…" Rick explained, Amber turning horrified.

"I'm guessing I missed out on a bit since I left." Amber said.

"You have…" Andrea replied before the others headed into the house to eat.

As Harper started to follow them, Andrea stopped her.

"What happened in that field?!" Andrea questioned quietly.

"Shane went off and then he took off. Daryl was right, Shane broke this group." Harper explained.

"Actually it was Amber who said that, that's why she left." Andrea said.

"And it was you who splintered us further by driving Beth to slash her wrist, you little bitch!" Harper responded, Andrea's eyes narrowing in anger as she saw Harper's bandaged fingers… and she realised that Shane was no longer alive.

"You killed him?!" Andrea yelled.

"He was gonna kill me! I went out to that field with him to talk, thinking I could trust him and calmly talk him out of whatever he was going to do next, Andrea! But when I saw that gun, there was no talking to Shane because he wasn't the Shane Walsh I knew!" Harper responded angrily, Andrea seeing her bruised face and cut lip clearer now after she let go of Harper's wrist and Rick ran outside to them.

"Back off, Andrea!" Rick replied as he shielded Harper.

"You and Lori took in a murderer, Rick!" Andrea responded.

"My daughter was defending herself! Shane swore that Harper would come back safe but he was intending on killing her!" Rick replied, Andrea about to reply when Amber walked and punched her.

"Back the hell off or the last thing you will see is my spiked bat!" Amber threatened.

Rick guided the girls into the house, Amber and Harper hugging each other… and Amber saw the exhaustion in her eyes.

"You should go and rest." Amber said.

Harper nodded and headed outside to the tent, unzipping it and hearing something that made her head snap up.

She grabbed her binoculars and looked through them… and her eyes widened in shock.

"I killed you…" Harper whispered before she ran back into the house and closed and locked the door, Rick seeing terror in her eyes and running to her. "He's out there." She responded, Rick taking Andrea's sniper rifle and unlocking the door.

He headed outside and looked through the scope… and he saw Shane.

He took the shot and Shane fell… and Rick realised that what Jenner had said was true.

Rick walked back in and closed the door, locking it and setting the rifle aside before finding Harper upstairs in the hallway.

"How the fuck did he survive?! I stabbed him repeatedly even after he stopped breathing, Daryl forced me to stop!" Harper responded in panic as Rick crouched down and rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Harper, Jenner told me that we're all infected… whatever it is, being bitten or killed in this case triggers it." Rick explained.

"Whoever dies without being bitten, if their brains are left undamaged… they turn into those things? The military didn't know that when they turned Atlanta into a fireball… they were just aiming blindly." Harper responded, which startled Rick.

"They dropped bombs into the city?" Rick asked.

"We ran through the woods when we heard the helicopters… everything went to hell." Harper responded as they stood up, Rick guiding her into a guest room and getting her to lie down after she pulled her shoes off.

"You haven't been sleeping much…" Rick replied as he tucked her into the bed.

"Every time I try, my mind just goes back to that night." Harper responded as Rick lightly brushed her hair back.

He had to figure out how to tell the others.


End file.
